Steigenberger Hotel de Saxe

ABOVE: The Steigenberger Hotel de Saxe is
close to
the Frauenkirche
and the Martin Luther statue on the Neumarkt in Dresden's historic center. INSET BELOW: The view from room
337, which faces a side street.

By Durant Imboden

Appearances
can be deceptive, but pleasantly so: Although the Steigenberger Hotel de Saxe
looks like a building from Dresden's Baroque era (or, in a pinch, from the 19th
Century), it's actually a modern building behind a mock Baroque façade.

The Baroque-style exterior was
designed to blend in with the historic Neumarkt and the magnificent 18th Century
Frauenkirche, which is across the square from the
hotel. Inside, however, the Steigenberger Hotel de Saxe is a comfortable, modern
first-class hotel with 185 air-conditioned rooms and suites.

The hotel's location is just a short walk from the Elbe River and the
city's most important tourist attractions. Restaurants, cafés, and upscale shops
surround the Neumarkt, and other amenities--including department stores and the
Kulturpalast, Dresden's main concert hall--are on the streets between the
Neumarkt and the Haupbahnhof or main railroad station, which is about 2 km (1.3
miles) away on foot, by streetcar, or in a taxi.

If you're hungry and want to remain
on the premises, you can book a table in the Restaurant de Saxe or--during warm
weather--on the Summer Terrace, which offers views of the Neumarkt and
Frauenkirche. (The hotel also serves an excellent, if pricey, buffet breakfast.)

The hotel also has a bar, a
wellness-fitness area with a spa program, garage parking for a fee, and services
for business travelers. Rates are reasonable (as hotel rates in Dresden tend to
be), and after staying at the Steigenberger Hotel de Saxe for two years in a row, I
think you're likely to enjoy your visit.

If you live outside the EU, a tax-free Renault or Peugeot tourist car lease can be cheaper than renting for visits of three weeks or longer. Minimum driver age is 18, there' s no upper age limit, and rates include insurance.